Footage shown of Qld man being stabbed

Footage of the moment a man is fatally stabbed before being left at a hospital has been shown in a Brisbane court.

Tyler Joseph Kelleher has pleaded not guilty to murder after 42-year-old Joel Frew died from an abdomen wound inflicted by a 20cm blade in March 2019.

CCTV footage was played in Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday showing Mr Frew arriving at an apartment and being met at the front door by three people including Kelleher and Ryan Powell.

Mr Frew is seen briefly speaking to the group outside the unit in Brisbane's south before Kelleher appears to suddenly stab the visitor.

Kelleher appeared to have his right arm hidden behind his back before lashing out with it and knifing Mr Frew, the crown prosecutor said.

"The central issue in this trial is likely to be what Tyler Kelleher's intention was at the time he struck that blow," he said.

Kellie Barton is then seen in the footage arriving at the apartment in Wishart that she shared with Mr Powell before escorting Mr Frew away.

The court heard Ms Barton drove Mr Frew to the hospital but didn't stay.

Barely 90 minutes later, Mr Frew was declared dead.

A police investigation quickly led them to the Wishart unit after the manner in which Ms Barton dropped off Mr Frew drew their attention, the court heard.

Ms Barton and Mr Powell were picked up by police but told them a "pack of lies", the court heard.

They had a "change of attitude" after being arrested, the jury was told.

Mr Powell told police where to find a hard drive that had the CCTV footage after it had been hidden in a nearby garden.

Police also found a knife in a creek behind the unit.

Analysis found a DNA sample on the knife was 100 billion times more likely to have occurred if it had originated from Mr Frew than someone else, the court heard.

Mr Frew had gone to the apartment after being confronted about an incident earlier that day, the court heard.

The Crown alleged a friend of Mr Powell had brought three men to the unit and they stole "either drugs or money or both".

"The short version is that it was an incident to do with drugs," the crown prosecutor said.

Mr Powell and three others including Kelleher went to his friend's place to "get to the bottom" of what happened.

They then went to Mr Frew's house, where he was knocked to the ground in an incident in which punches were thrown but no one was injured.

An hour or so later, Mr Frew went to the Wishart unit seeking the return of his phone and was stabbed.

The court heard a pre-existing heart disease and drug use may have contributed to Mr Frew's death by fast-tracking how quickly he succumbed to the stab wound.

The trial before Justice Sean Cooper continues.